2001 Fuel 80

Bought a Fuel 80 used and wish I would've found MTBR earlier. n00b!!1 Anyway, I'm looking at either trading it in or using it as a beater bike and buying an EX7. If I traded it in, anybody have a clue what I might get for it? It's in pretty decent shape. But it's all stock save for the Shimano clipless pedals, and my guess would be that it's all original which means the components are over 6 years old. It rides great, though, I just feel like I've outgrown it.

Persoanaly...

I'd keep it as a commuter or a loaner. You won't get much out of it on a trade-in even if the bike is in excellent condition. It is 6 years old after all, and bikes depreciate very quickly. The rule of thumb is to take half of retail for the first year, then about $50 a year there after. Add back in about half of any RECENT upgrades, then divide that figure in half. Then deduct whatever is felt neccessary for dings, scratches, and whatever components may need to be replaced.

As an example, if the bike retailed for 1500, that would give 750 after the first year, minus $50 per year there after would leave $500, divide that in half for $250. Then subtract whatever the cost is on replacment parts to bring the bike up to a saleable condition, to include labor. The average is around $40 to $50. That would set it right at $200 for trade-in. This is assuming a bike in good to excellent condition with little wear and tear damage.

That's not saying that that's what you should expect though. There are allot of other variables of course. The shop itself and their policy, how popular the particular model is in your area, what kind of volume they do in used bikes, etc.

In the long run you'd likely do better either selling the bike on ebay, or keeping it as a back up or for other use.